a cold and malicious December
by theory of odd
Summary: December (from the story 20 pages and still no title) is infected with XANA itself and jars into a killing spree. Graphic sex scenes and explicit murder descriptions. not for the innocent reader.
1. decembers attempt on ulrich's life

A cold and malicious december

"Jeremie, there's something I need to show you…." Aelitas voice rang out throught the darkness of the room at four thirteen in the morning. "Jeremie, please get up, this is very urgent!" she shouted. The noise just about gave Jeremie a heart aattack. ALmost instinctively he ran to the chair, and clamored into it.

"Wha- what is it, Ae—"

"I recorded footage of December's ethereal activity while his astral projection was inside of Lyoko.

"and?" he answered single wordedly so she woulnd't cut him off again…and she hesitated with the result.

"Jeremie…I've never witnessed anything that even comes close to how brutal and utterly disturbing." Her voice was actually quavering and she seemed very shook up. Jeremie sat in silence. 'why would this be of concern to Aelita?'

"Aelita, give me the recording from your eyes." Jeremi's fingers lit the keyboard a blaze with sound. He was bringing up several differenti imaging and streaming video programs, each with different features and ways of displaying the actual video.

"I'm scared , Jeremie." She said, while setting the system in motion.

Before Jeremi's eyes, he saw four crabs, and a creature hed seen on Decemmbers wall, with a red circle around one of the tubes exiting the creatures body…he'd meant to ask decemeber about this, but it had slipped his mind the day before. The video began, and there was Decemeber, normally fighting the monsters. Everything seemed alright. Halfway through the fight, the large new monster loomed down onto Decemebr, and sprayed him with an exhaust of some kind. A red dusty substance. December totally lost it. It appeared he'd gone completely insane. His strength was more than doubled in the same instant. He grabbed the exhaust port, and shoved it deep inside of the monster, causing it's housing in the belly to exit on the other side. One of the crabs moved in, and swung at him with a leg. December grabbed it with much difficutly, but stopped it none the less. The next thing Jeremie heard was a cracking sound…and the leg snapped in two, spilling the liquid contents onto December and the surrounding area, and the crab fell over limp. He then proceeded to further damage the crab by crushing its body with the leg he'd just removed. Turning to the others, he launched the appendage in their general and took out half of one's exterior shell. What followed was a page torn from the imagination of any and all horror and violence writers. The mosters were completely demolished, and he stood alone. The camera began to move toward him…Aelita was walking up to him, trying to establish any communication. As she drew nearer, there wa a look on December's face…staring at the mutilated bodies. A primal expression. No smile, eyes wide…his entire body covered with the blood of the creatures. Aelita was now only a few feet away from him…his head snapped toward her so quickly, a few drops were slung onto her. Decemebr then lunged toward the camera, with his claws glowing a bright red, then the video lost feed…nothing but static after that.

"How did you get away?!" Jeremi's voice was shrill, and loud for the quiet of night., he'd almost fallen out of his chair leaning forward toward the screen.

"I managed to materialize a wall across the entire island…and after that, his body must have called the spirit back because I didn't hear anything anymore. Jeremie sat in the silence, and for the first time in his life…only one thing was on his mind…'will his spirit bring the behavior back to his body?' Of course he realized that if this were to happen, they were all in very real, and alarmingly close danger. 'Just down this hallway…'Jeremie thought, while looking at the door… ' there could be a person who is bent on killing everyone he comes in contact with'…the minutes rolled by, and Jeremie was too afraid to even move.

Room number 756 was as black as coal. The only thing that broke the utter stillness was the sound of a ruffled sheet of cloth. December had rolled onto his back in the bed. He slept quite soudly though the entire incident in lyoko. He'd come to the realization that he was now awake…still with his eyes closed. He felt nothing but the cold of winter on his chest and arms.. A warm hand moved across his body, and long hair fell over his shoulder. The heat from another body pressed against his own, and the deep exhalation only reassured him that he was awake. It began to warm under his back. Wamer and warmer the sheets under him became. It seemed as if a heating pad was turned on. Sweat formed on his forehead, and beaded down the side of his face. A hot rush shot through his body…the rush of adrenaline. The kind of feeling that arises when something goes horribly, horribly wrong. He clenched his eyes tightly shut…feeling a presence in the room other than he and Yumi, the presence of someone very dangerous…and close. He slid his hand over the smooth skin of Yumi's back, recovering the role of the protectorate. A window of lights danced across the room as a car turned the corner in the parking lot. Another hour of silence drew nothing more out of December than a few deep sighs. The room became slightly less black as the clouds covering the moon had drifted on. He carefully moved Yumi's head and shoulder from his chest, and he sat up in bed. Being it was the first time he'd had any large amount of movement in four hours, his head began to spin. Draping his legs over the side of the bed, he held his face in his hands… 'why do I feel…a sense…of completion…for some reason, everything seems so finalized.' He turned to Yumi, still asleep on the pillow. The moon reflecting of her pale skin made him feel so needed…like he was a part of something. His mind wandered around her…everything he knew about her. Everything he'd learned about her…and everything he'd experienced with her. To the first day theyd met…the first day he met the entire group. For some reason, his thoughts then centered on Ulrich…suddenly the room became skewed and contorted. His body rose, and he simply watched. He lifted his head to the window, and his eyes caught the light of the moon. The black pupils expanded, completely eclipsing the iris…then drew out further, and further. His singular pupil finally came to cover the entire white of his eye. Through his new eyes, he saw the room as if broad daylight poured in. Rolling his vision around the bright lights, Yumi came into his view. He felt himself drawing very near to her, his hands stroking her skin. An image of Ulrich injected itself straight into his thoughts, and his body jolted around and made way to the chest on the opposite wall. His conscious self sat back and observed all of these things happening, as if a dream were taking place. His hands dove into the blackness of the interior of the chest. Several calnks, and clicks echoed as they rummaged through the items. Stopping, they began to pull back, and sliding into the light, gleaming and shining, was a worn colt .45 semi automatic pistol.

He turned and slithered back to the bedside, and laid once more with Yumi. The sheets covering her body were removed. Her bare and vulnerable skin now completely exposed, and practically waiting for damage. Running the cold steel tip of the gun over her body, he watched her stir slightly. A slysmile reached its way across his dark face. He leaned in close, and whispered into her hear too quietly to wake her, " I feel I have to say goodbye…" just as silently as he had lain down, he rose once more, and pulled on a pair of boxer shorts, and exited the room into the hallway. The hallway seemed to be in negative…all he knew was that he was moving forward, passing doors on his left. The numbers grew smaller. Ulrich's room wasn't far. His right hand felt heavy, partially due to the two pounds of metal. Through the glimpses of the hallway he was using to navigate, there was a large dark object leaning against a wall about twenty feet off. December stopped, and raised his head, bringing the anomile into focus. Voluntarily working both of his eyes individually, the image cleared and brightened. There in front of him stood Ulrich. His eyes were glazed over, and with black circles underneath them… Ulrich was truly a pathetic sight. Roughed and bruised…with the needle still hanging from the skin on his arm, he wearily lifted a nailed piece of wood that he broke from a chair in his room. From six feet, December looked at him blankly with his cold, blithe eyes, and mechanically raised his arm, sighting in Ulrich with the pistol. Ulrich stared him down, and the gun finally registered with him. He stood slack jawed and stiff. December lined Ulrich's head with the bead, and put a slight amount of pressure on the trigger. Ulrich could practically hear the scraping of the metal as the hammer reached its apex. With a quick squeeze of Decemebers finger, the hammer flew forward, and rammed the contact…Ulrich waited for the last shock of noise hed ever hear. The only thing that echoed through the hall was the click of the hammer. December drew the gun back, and look into the chamber…'empty'

He half tossed the pistol into the air and caught the barrel. Griping it tightly, he lunged toward the burned out Ulrich, and began to beat him relentlessly with the blunt handle. Two blows to the head sent a spray of blood onto the hallway wall, and Ulrich fell to the ground. December then stood over him, and swung at anything not covered by Ulrich's arms. Ulrich's senses were already running in over drive, and when December's assault began he couldn't even scream. All that was heard was the thudding of the steel against flesh and bone. A bright flash and rapid clicking noise exploded in the hallway, and everything came to a stand still. December stood frozen, and finally slumped down onto himself. Ulrich looked up with his bloodshot eyes, and there stood Jeremie with a taser, with the current still going. Ulrich layed his head back down on to the floor, and the humming of the electricity faded out as he fell into a drug induced sleep.


	2. Is Yumi even alive?

POV CHANGE FROM THIRD TO FIRST (JEREMIES)

I gazed down wide eyed…still not wanting to believe what my eyes had just told me. The taser droning on in my hand and the dark substance on the wall…it was all real. I stood stiff as a statue. The only movement I could perceive was Ulrich's blood running down the wall, and pooling on the ground. 'this proves it…any person who comes in contact with…' the picture finally snapped in my head. I jolted around, and sprinted to December's room. 'Yumi was staying there tonight…oh god….don't tell me…please…she was there when this all started.' My mind reached countless horrible scenarios that may await me in room 756. Half way there, I found myself verbally chanting her name…in some poor hopes that she was even alive. As I approached the door, my reluctancy to enter was matched only with my concern for Yumi's safety. I slowed and peered at the door from a good six feet. It was cracked open. My steps were like lead weights dropped from the roof of the science building…at least that's what they sounded like to me. Just hoping that they were that loud to anyone inside of that room. I pushed open the door, and turned the corner into the room. The image my eyes were met with was one of both relief, and severe alarm. There lay Yumi, in the moonlight through the window, unharmed…yet completely nude. The blood shot straight to my face, and I almost fell as I whirled around. I cautiously backed up, keeping my eyes focused dead ahead.

"Yumi….." I whispered loudly, trying not to wake the entire floor. " Yumi!…" she didn't stir. I was starting to wonder if shed been as unharmed as I had presumed….in my reaching back to avoid tripping, my hand touched something warm…it was Yumi yes…so I began to shake, hoping to wake her…the appendage in my hand, however, didn't feel like a shoulder, or knee…it was another dome shaped feature… ' oh my god' my arm retracted like a released bow. What I just realized I'd done…and thanking whatever God may exist that Yumi was NOT awake for that…and my physical trial and severe error didn't do the job it was intended for… I stepped forward, and said in a semi normal voice… " Yumi, get….." then I simply grew tired of waiting. " UP" the last phrase was actually a very low shout. I heard the quick rustle of sheets.

POV CHANGE FROM FIRST TO THIRD

Yumi looked lazily up at the figure in the center of the room, ignoring the sheets at the foot of the bed. "December, come back to bed, its getting cold." She curled up into a ball near the pillow, and looked again at the person she presumed to be December…and widened her eyes to make him out in the dark. " Why are you dres…" and at that particular instant, she finally realized that December didn't have blonde hair… "Jeremie?!" she dove for the sheets, and wrapped up tightly within them " what the hell are you doing here…where's December?!" Her voice was loud enough to wake the very school itself.

After hearing the coiling of cloth, Jeremie turned around, and tried to calm her down…of course being Jeremie, and not possessing the gift of gab in tight situations, his phrases got pretty garbled.

"Listen Yumi, you have to come with me…something is very very wrong here, and I'm just happy to see you alive." His words threw Yumi way off guard.

"What are you talking about…where's December?" her voice was quavering now that the mention of a life and death scenario was in play. Jeremie held out his hands in the most reassuring pose he could muster, considering the dire forces at work.

"Yumi…youre really not going to believe this whithout seeing it for yourself.

Jeremie stood outside the door, and waited for Yumi's exit of the room after clothing herself… he stared at the wall and actually evaluated the gravity of what he'd done… 'Well, for starters, anyone who's seen Yumi in the nude, and lived to tell the tale is pretty incredible…but' He himself couldn't believe he was thinking this. ' but I actually fondled Yumi…man…I take back all of those things I told myself I wasn't missing by not going after Yumi…except of course for the beating that either Ulirch or December would have dealt me…heh.' His thoughts were very abrubtly interrupted by the swift opening of a door, and it almost threw him off balance. Yumi stepped over him…and for the first time in their knowledge of each others existence, she seemed to tower over him with the most ominous presence he'd ever felt.

"Show me…" Her eyes burned into him. He turned and started down the hall. It was still only three in the morning, and the entire floor was still asleep.

" We need to act quickly, detaining December is out main priority as of right now." Jeremie stated as they strode near the scene of devastation.

"What are you talking about? Detaining him? What's going on, Jeremie." She looked over his shoulder trying to see what he was hiding, as if he were holding it in front of him. They rounded the corner, and Jeremie suddenly stopped, with Yumi running into the back of him. She peered over him, and looked. Blood covered the walls and ceiling, and there, in the center of the hallway, was Ulrich and December, both in a heap on the floor.

" What in the God's good name is going on here?" Yumi's eyes stayed glued to the view before her. Jeremie turned away, and shut his eyes, trying to piece together what he could.

"As far as I can figure, December has been infected with something…Aelita tracked his ethereal movement in Lyoko, and recorded a confrontation between him and a few of XANA's monsters. During the struggle, he was attacked with a spray of some kind of dust or gas…after that, he hideously maimed every creature in sight, and made a run at Aelita. I suppose in short, its like the Berserker gas in that Final Fantasy game of yours." He faced Yumi once more… " So you see…we have to detain him until it wears off…otherwise, were all fucked."


	3. Decmber's temperary detainment

CHAPTER 3…SISSI'S HORRIFIC DEMISE.

The loud popping of unreeling duct tape filled the room, and Odd and Yumi helped Jeremie strap December to the computer chair.

" Yeah, well, around two thirty, Ulrich woke me when he opened the door, and left…I figured he'd just gone to the bathroom or something..so I didn't give it any thought." Ulrich, who'd woken up twenty minutes earlier, left after seeing Yumi walk into the room. He was wondering the grounds, even thought it was only four ten. Jeremie fumbled around in the dark, and picked up the twine rope he'd saved from Christmas, and began to wreathe December's hands together.

" All I know is…Ulirch's lucky to be alive…and so are you, Yumi." He stated, glancing up at her. "heh, you wouldn't have been in any danger if you didn't spend the night with him…like you do almost every night now." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh fuck off, Jeremie, what he and I do is our business…but of course not everything…now that you've turned into a peeping tom." Uncrossing her arms, she bent down toward December's race, and looked him in his half open eyes.

" Hey, I turned around, ok?" He whined in his defense.

" His eyes…they're so strange…" she lifted one of his lids with her finger, and investigated more.

" I think it has to deal with the primal nature hes taken on…by my guesses," Jeremie entertained himself with the intrigue of December's newly aquired abilities. "… he can see better in the dark with his own eyes than I can with a NAVY night vision ocular enhancement system…but that's just a guess." Yumi returned to her stance by the door, and leaned against the wall in the dark shadow of the room. Jeremie stood, and gathered a strip of duct tape for his mouth.

The last sound of tape jarred December into consciousness. His eyes floated around the room, and focused on Jeremie's approaching hands, with the tape ready.

In a burst of movement, December rocked the chair forward, and sunk his teeth into Jeremies wrist. Yumi and Odd flew into action, prying Decembers body back to the chair, taking Jeremie with them. Jeremie grunted and ground his teeth, trying not to make a sound to disturb the other rooms. Blood began to drip…then flow from Decemebrs mouth. Jeremie couldn't contain himself…he let out a loud yelp, and ripped his limb from the jaws. December's body slammed into the chair, sending Yumi and Odd behind him. Yumi stood back, and looked at the pitiful sight… ' December…please….please… fight it if you can…I love you too much for you to be lost to XANA' Her thoughts ran wild with memories. Of course she would never display any sort of worry in front of Jeremie or Odd…besides…if thoughts of caring and love were kept inside…they meant what they meant, and a hundred fold more.

Even though Jeremie's thoughts were focused on the pain in his hand…his eyes were focused on Yumi. 'God…shes in so much pain…I can't imagine, watching the one person I love…' He turned his gaze now to December, sitting in the chair, bound and flustered, with blood dripping from his mouth…onto his scarred chest. ' acting so mindless and violent…don't worry December…youre my friend. This isn't your fault…and I'll bring you back…I promise.' Jeremie walked to Yumi, and looked her square in the eye. "If there is an answer, it lies in Lyoko…we have to get to the factory."


	4. Sissi's final moments and a bloody final...

The trees in the park had begun to turn. Sunlight bathed the trio in shades of gold, red, and orange as it shone through the leaves. For a brief moment, either the feeling of fall or pretending for the rest of the school…everything seemed alright. Breaking the serene silence, Jeremie drug Yumi and Odd back into the grim reality of their situation.

" After everything's been said and done, I think we may need to ask Ulrich for help this time." He looked at Yumi as they walked onward down the winding path that led to the manhole in the clearing. She didn't return the stare of concern. Her eyes were set forward…not even focusing on the ground…they were just dead to the world, and stuck in a normal position.

"Whatever." Responding any way she could force her vocal chords to, she terminated any hopes for conversation before they were even in Lyoko. That walk to the Factory rivaled Yumi's cold walk home two years ago in terms of desperation for answers. Once they were underground, Yumi's pace had slowed and slowed until she lagged far behind. Odd had slowed his pace to let Yumi catch up…but Jeremie took him by the arm, and simply shook his head…they went on ahead of her.

Lost in thought, Yumi finally registered her eyes into focus, and looked upward toward the light. Another manhole to the surface. The sound of her footsteps droned on throughout the hollow sewer system. She'd reached the intersection of the tunnels. And stood still, listening to Odd and Jeremie's steps getting weaker and weaker. The light that filtered through the ceiling was getting duller and duller…clouds were beginning to form in the 'real world'…at least that's what Yumi called it. 'The world that goes on, regardless of what we do…we…the protectors of that disgusting race of _sub_humans up there…they don't deserve it.' Light tapping noises had caught her attention from up above, but she didn't look up…she knew that sound. She knew that sound very well. From hours of concentrating, shed memorized the patterns. It was rain. On her arm, she felt three drops of ice-cold water… 'Its just starting'. Kneeling next to the water's edge…she gathered enough courage to look at herself in the reflection. As her thoughts rambled on, more drops fell onto her body.

"It's probably your fault anyway…" she stared at the girl in the water accusingly.

She could see the manhole above, and the light shining through in rays…after a few minutes, she finally realized that the rain had picked up. Her eyes focused once more on the horrible person in the water, and watched helplessly as the girl's hair became soaked, and water covered her entire body…she watched as the girl started shaking from the cold. To her surprise, the girl moved. Her hand raised into the air, as if to strike Yumi. The hand dropped into the water…and then the girl was gone…and it was only Yumi then. The sound of rain was all around her. Deafening in the tunnels, she stood, and walked on to the factory, drenched and shivering, yet not feeling cold or shaken…. 'I wonder how December's doing…'

The hallway of the seven hundred block had been quiet all day…at least after the silent disturbance early that morning. Every room was quiet….every door was closed. In Odd and Ulrich's room, December sat, taped to the computer chair…unconscious from the blow that Odd delivered with the trophy after he rammed Odd into the wall with his shoulder. In the hallway, movement had finally stirred. Sissi made her way down the numbers until she stopped at the very door that held December from the rest of the world. Ulrich had told her to meet him there for " some fun" as he put it. She eagerly grabbed the handle, and began to speak before the door was open.

"Ulrich? I just wanted you to know that I dreamed about this for a very long ti—" She stopped short as the door swung all the way open to reveal December in all of his bondaged glory. Her concern for Ulrich's absence disappeared when she rushed in to help December. " hey…you're the guy that hangs around with Yumi…are you ok? Who did this? Here, I'll help you out." She ran to the back of the chair, and began ripping the duct tape off of his wrists. The movement had aroused him out of his sleep, and he opened his eyes. The first thing he'd realized was that his hands were untied…and the next thing he saw was Sissi walking in front of him, tending to his trophy wound on his head… he raised his head to face her, and her eyes fell right into his…she stood slowly, her breathing became quicker. Before she could run to the door, December's hand shot out, and grabbed a fist full of her hair. She stopped short, and fell to the ground. Her screams were immediately muffled but the very tape she'd removed from December's hands. He sat on top of her to keep her still. His face was blank, and he worked very deliberately. Pulling the tape, he bound her hands and feet together, and reinforced the gag. He then stood, looking over his defenseless victim…a smile finally broke his emotionless face, and he walked to the door, and locked it shut.

An hour went by…and December stared at Sissi's body on the bed. She was very much alive…but she had no energy left even to scream. Her clothes lay tattered and sliced on the floor of the room…cut from her body, apparently with no care taken in regards to the knife and her skin. Her bare skin was covered with deep incisions. She now lay on Ulrich's bed, naked and barely breathing, blood soaking the sheets, and her eyes ever open, and trained on December. He stood there, shirtless, scars and all, in the window, staring down at the courtyard below…studying people…in his mind, laying devices and plans for each one of them… He turned suddenly, and walked to the bed. At his sudden approach, Sissi used what was left of her ability, and moved as best she could away from him…she was up against the wall by the time he'd sat down beside her.

"I'm sure you must be wondering why…" he stared down at her, smiling, and brandishing the knife he'd found with his blood covered hand. With the other, he ran over her body, and traced the deep bloody bite marks he'd left earlier with his fingers. "Well, my little entertainment for the moment…like everything in life…as you've seen so far…there is no answer. Everything is just presented…no sort of ending is ever in sight…except for yours…its very much in plain view." With that, he reached down, and grasped her once more by the hair. He lifted her up, and yanked down along her back, throwing her chin up high. " But don't worry…I'll tell your little boyfriend Ulrich how good it was." He raised the knife, and quickly raked it along her throat. Releasing a torrent of blood that surged over December's body, accompanied by a garbled gurgling noise. Sissi's body fell limply to the bed. December stared down, feeling the warm blood on his chest and arms. He suddenly felt overcome with fatigue… as if he'd just had a violent session in bed. He laid down next to Sissi's lifeless corpse, and wrapped his arms around her. Falling into a deep sleep, the true December inside screamed until his vocal chords bled. He wanted to kill himself for what he'd witnessed what happened here…all he could do was rage and thrash until his soul was tired…and watch…watch as his possessed shell of a body wandered around and brought XANA's dreams into his reality.


End file.
